19 Sept 2022

The Brentwood Dollhouse: Cork Brick Tutorial

Today I'm sharing how I bricked the exterior of my dollhouse for part two of the Brentwood Dollhouse series. I'm so happy with how these cork bricks turned out!  They are easy to apply, light, and much more affordable than some of the other brick options we have in miniature.  
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19 Aug 2022

The Brentwood Dollhouse: How It Started


Meet the Brentwood Dollhouse!  I'm so very excited to announce my newest project, a brand new dollhouse kit designed by me, exclusively manufactured and sold by miniatures.com!  This beautiful 8+ room dollhouse kit is a transitional style and features custom doors, windows, and stairs.  All the things I love in a dollhouse!

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11 Dec 2021

Christmas Morning Roombox

Merry Christmas!  It's the morning of the 25th in my newest dollhouse roombox.  Let me set the scene, the mini homeowners have been waiting for months to have their kitchen back after a big renovation. They are just about to sit down and eat a delicious spread.  Do you have any Christmas morning traditions?  We always make a point of sitting and eating together after opening gifts.

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11 Oct 2021

Autumn Gathering

 


Hello Fall!  I'm celebrating the season in my dining roombox this week with Hobby Builders Supply and miniatures.com.  Today is Thanksgiving Monday here in Canada and this weekend has been all about food, family, and the outdoors.  It's been surprisingly warm for this time of year so we've been getting outside to enjoy the fall colours.

A fall miniature dining room scene has been on my wishlist for a long time now.  I focused on an autumn colour palette with warm wood and gold accents, and lots of beautiful florals.  This scene takes place in the afternoon, just before everyone arrives.  The table is set and the food has yet to be brought out.  It's the anticipation of what's to come.  

The lighting is a bit moody for this one, and I love it!   It's a very "Paper Doll Miniatures" scene and style.

You might remember this roombox from my spring scene I did with HBS in the past.  It's dimensions can be a challenge because it's so deep, but I think this time I managed to bring the space together and fill it nicely with the fireplace and the larger table.  There are a lot of DIY elements in this room and I'll be sharing them below.

Now let's get to the minis!  Everything is linked at the bottom of the post.  I have so many favourite things in this scene. The Colonial Windsor Bench set the tone for the entire project.  It's warm wood matched perfectly with the gold accents.  I decided to give it it's own corner with the single Floral Arrangement Framed Print above.

Obviously the biggest item in the room is the table.  It's made with these 2.5 inch  Legs and 1/8 sheets of basswood.  I'm so happy to finally have a large dining table to stage for all my future scenes.  Here's a look at the construction:



I set the table with a mix of dishes and glasses.  The Silverware, White Dinner Plates, and Crystal Bowls were great layering items.  I always like glass in my scenes to give that ertheral quality when the light hits it. 

I reached out of Michelle of Tiny Naturals on Etsy to make me the centrepiece for the project.  It matches beautifully with the wreaths she created last year for my bungalow front doors.  It brings in that needed pop of colour and adds a bit more luxury to the scene.  I always love everything she makes!   The napkins are ribbon pieces, and the tall wine glasses have been in my collection for years.  The chairs are Chysonbon kits I had as well, perfect for the new table.




Above the table hangs this stunning  Brass LED Chandelier (silver available here).  I usually prefer wired in lights, but I really appreciated the ease and flexibility of the battery operated light.   I put a magnet on the top of the roombox ceiling to hold it in place so I was able to quickly remove it and turn it on and off. The LEDs are more of a bright bluish white, so I did add a bit of yellow permanent marker.  I wiped off a good part of what I put on though and that is why there is a slight yellowish tint.  

The fireplace has my favourite piece of art in the room.  The Swans with the dark background fit so well with the moody atmosphere.  If you remember the planters Michelle made me for my bungalow, I took out all the florals from them and laid them on top of the fireplace mantle.  I love the way it looks.



The fireplace was a bit of a makeover from a previous Christmas roombox.  I changed up the paper tile insert to egg cartons.  I cut out the cartons into bricks, glued them on, and then painted the grout lines black (would have been a good idea to paint the back piece black before application).  I finished with a brown, grey and white paint mix that I stippled on.  The mantel and surround is made with Crown Moulding and strip wood.  I changed the bottom baseboard to a style with Shoe Moulding to match the rest of the room, and I added 1/16 crown moulding to better frame the art.


Another feature I added to the roombox was this Double Entry Door and Pair of Aged Bronze French Door Handles.  It completely elevated the look of the space!  And now I don't have to worry about staging the otherside of the opening.


Across the room sits a Federal style buffet I made from a kit.  I loved the curves on this piece.  It has Gold Knobs and Etched Hepplewhite Drawer Pulls which are lovely.  I fully intend to get more knobs for the future! 

I accesorrized the buffet with glass and wood elements.  It's not overflowing with items, but keep in mind soon it will also have platters of food on it too!  I think the Pumpkin Jar is beautiful when the light hits it and I reached for my go-to glass Tiny Green Pitcher.  I also really like the Tall Curvy Aged Ewer on the far right with it's rustic finish. The art fills in the rest of the space, I thought the Oval Frame was so sweet and great to mix in with the other rectangular frames.




Finally in the back right corner I have a Bespaq cabinet with a collection of various pottery and ceramics.  A few are Elisabeth Crusset, but the Brown Ceramic Pitcher and the 2 Pc Glazed Planter Set from miniatures.com are warm brown tones and perfect for fall!



This completes the autumn dining roombox tour!  I have one last little piece I wanted to pass on to you all, the bubble wrap that arrives in the HBS boxes make the best light deflectors and softeners!  I used them to soften the light coming in through the window.


A big thank you to Hobby Builders Supply and miniatures.com for sending me several of the pieces to create this scene.  I always enjoy finding new favourites and revisiting items I've collected in the past from them as well.


Links to all the items in the scene:

6 Arm Brass LED Chandelier (silver available here)

Colonial Windsor Bench

Floral Arrangement Framed Print

Framed Horse Print

Large Adams Oval Frame

Large Rectangle Frame Holly Motif (a similar style now available as Adams)

Mute Swans Approaching Shore Framed Print


Double Entry Door

Pair of Aged Bronze French Door Handles


Brown Ceramic Pitcher

2 Pc Glazed Planter Set


On the table:

Water Glasses (Now only available here as part of a set or I really love these as a set of 4)

Silverware

White Dinner Plates (similar)

Four Crystal Bowls


Buffet:

Gold Knobs 

Etched Hepplewhite Drawer Pull 

Pumpkin Jar

Tiny Green Pitcher

Tall Curvy Aged Ewer

Two Tone Cutting Board

11 Pc Assorted Gourd Set

Natural Candlesticks Trio


Table:

Legs

+1/8 basswood sheet top and sides


Fireplace:

Crown Moulding +1/32 strip wood on the outside

Egg cartons on the insert


Baseboard:

Baseboard with Shoe Moulding (also available in packages of 1, 3, or 12 pc) my fave!




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19 Sept 2021

Bungalow Dollhouse: Summer

 

Season number 3! My seasonal bungalow dollhouse is enjoying the last few days of summer.  I finished the gardens and switched up the grass for the change in season.  I'm very happy with how all the flowers and plants came together, it was a mix from talented artisans and a few I made myself.  If you missed the previous posts about this dollhouse, you can find them here.
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